Grading Every Key Signing, Trade of the MLB Offseason Thus Far

Grading Every Key Signing, Trade of the MLB Offseason Thus Far

It has been a busy winter so far, and many players will be wearing different uniforms next season.

Teams have been making transactions to put themselves in a better position going into 2013, but there have definitely been some unbalanced moves.

On the trade market, some teams got ripped off while others made amazing deals.

Some free agents received excellent contracts, and others did not.

This type of activity is typical, but let's take a minute to grade every significant trade or free-agent signing so far this offseason. Every trade will be graded from each perspective, and the transactions will be presented in the order that they happened.

Oct. 20: Chris Young Traded to the Oakland Athletics

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Oakland Athletics received Chris Young

Arizona Diamondbacks received Cliff Pennington and Yordy Cabrera

Diamondbacks' Grade: B

Rationale: The Arizona Diamondbacks absolutely needed a shortstop, and Pennington will fill the hole adequately. Last season, he only hit .215 with six home runs, 28 RBI and 15 stolen bases, but perhaps a change of scenery will help.

Athletics' Grade: A+

Rationale: Chris Young is easily capable of going 20-20, and even though his career average is low (.239) and 2012 was disappointing, trading away a shortstop who hit at about the Mendoza line is a small price to pay.

Oct. 20: Heath Bell Dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks

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Arizona Diamondbacks received Heath Bell

Miami Marlins received Yordy Cabrera (yes, the same one from the last slide)

Marlins' Grade: A-

Rationale: Signing Heath Bell ended up being a disaster for the Miami Marlins, so it is not a bad thing to trim the final two years off what was originally a three-year, $27 million contract off their payroll.

Diamondbacks' Grade: A-

Rationale: The Arizona Diamondbacks are taking a risk, but if Bell is able to get back even some of his former dominance, trading away a low-level prospect is not incredibly hazardous.

Oct. 31: Ervin Santana Sent to the Kansas City Royals

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Kansas City Royals received Ervin Santana and cash

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim received Brandon Sisk

Angels' Grade: A+

Rationale: The Angels had definite troubles out of the bullpen last season. Sisk should be able to help reconcile that problem if his 2.54 ERA last season in Triple-A is an indication. He averaged over a strikeout per inning as well.

Royals' Grade: A+

Rationale: The Kansas City Royals came into this winter looking for a better pitching staff. Adding Santana, although expensive, will help. He did win 17 games in 2010, and he could easily rise to that level again.

Rationale: Obviously, the problem with this trade is that the Blue Jays had to take on an awful lot of payroll. However, they did receive one of the best shortstops in baseball, a guy with top-of-the-rotation potential and three more solid players to help round out their roster.

Marlins' Grade: D

Rationale: If the Marlins really wanted to trade away all five of these players, they should have at least made separate deals. That way, they may have been able to get more of a return from teams that specifically wanted help at each of these positions.

Nov. 19: Melky Cabrera Signs with the Toronto Blue Jays

Rationale: While it is hard to tell what impact performance-enhancing drugs had on Melky Cabrera's breakout season last year in which he hit .346 through 113 games, what is not to like about this deal?

If it doesn't work out, the risk is relatively small anyway, as he's only signed for two years.

Nov. 20: Hiroki Kuroda Re-Signs with the New York Yankees

Rationale: Hiroki Kuroda is incredibly consistent. He has never posted an ERA above 4.00, and with the mighty New York Yankees offense behind him for another year, he should have no problem leading his team to a bunch of victories again.

Nov. 28: Andy Pettitte Signs on for Another Year with the New York Yankees

Nov. 29: B.J. Upton Goes to the Atlanta Braves

Rationale: B.J. Upton is a highly talented outfielder, but signing him to a long-term deal is somewhat risky. Last season, he did hit 28 home runs, but his .246 batting average suggests that he doesn't make enough solid contact to have sustained success.

I might be wrong, but this makes me nervous.

Nov. 29: Denard Span Traded to the Washington Nationals

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Washington Nationals received Denard Span

Minnesota Twins received Alex Meyer

Twins' Grade: B

Rationale: Alex Meyer seems to have all the tools needed to succeed after going 10-6 with a 2.86 ERA in his first professional season. However, because he is still a prospect in the lower levels of the minor leagues and far from a sure thing, I had to knock down his grade a little bit.

Nationals' Grade: B

Rationale: Denard Span is a solid player who will fit in the top of the Washington Nationals batting order. The Nationals could have used a bat with a little more power in the lineup, especially since the return of Adam LaRoche is not guaranteed yet.

Dec. 4: Texas Rangers Sign Joakim Soria

Rationale: After he missed all of 2012, the Texas Rangers decided to take a chance on Joakim Soria. From 2007 to 2010, he was an excellent closer for the Kansas City Royals; so, this grade could easily go up if he returns to that form. However, 2011 was the last we saw of him, and he struggled that year.

Dec. 4: San Francisco Giants Re-Sign Marco Scutaro

However, given the important role that he played down the stretch for the San Francisco Giants, hitting .362 in 61 games, they wanted him back. He has a little bit of power (seven home runs in 2012); so, that is a little additional bonus.

Dec. 4: Colorado Rockies Traded for Wilton Lopez

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Colorado Rockies received Wilton Lopez and a player to be named later

Houston Astros received Alex White and Alex Gillingham

Astros' Grade: B+

Rationale: The Houston Astros received Alex White, who should be able to enter their rotation immediately, and Alex Gillingham, who had a very promising sophomore season in the minors. Neither racks up the strikeouts, but both have had minor league success so far.

Rockies' Grade: C+

Wilton Lopez has posted three consecutive seasons with an ERA under 3.00. The hard part is that he pitches for contact. He relies on getting people out by putting the ball in play, and that could be problematic in Coors Field. He does do well forcing ground balls, but opponents have hit .271 against him through his career, so watch out for this.

Dec. 6: Ben Revere Traded to the Philadelphia Phillies

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Philadelphia Phillies received Ben Revere

Minnesota Twins received Vance Worley and Trevor May

Twins' Grade: C

Rationale: Vance Worley is a nice middle-of-the-rotation option, and Trevor May was one of the Philadelphia Phillies' top pitching prospects. He had a difficult time last season, but he should be major league ready in the near future. If he doesn't rebound, this trade will not be nearly as attractive as many believe it is right now.

Phillies' Grade: A

Rationale: The Philadelphia Phillies needed a center fielder, and they went out and got one with a very team friendly contract. Ben Revere will also fit very nicely into the Philadelphia lineup by adding quite a bit of speed and a bat that hit .294 last season.

Dec. 8: Jason Bay Signs with the Seattle Mariners

Rationale: Jason Bay hit below the Mendoza line last season, and at 34 years old, time is starting to run out on his career. That being said, he is a former All-Star and signed a very small contract.

If he produces well, he could be an incredible bargain.

Dec. 9: Michael Young Traded to the Philadelphia Phillies

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Philadelphia Phillies received Michael Young

Texas Rangers received Josh Lindblom and Lisalverto Bonilla

Rangers' Grade: A-

Rationale: The most significant feature about this trade for the Texas Rangers is the fact that Mike Olt is now able to take over as the designated hitter on a full-time basis. Josh Lindblom and Lisalverto Bonilla are solid pitchers, and that only adds to the benefit.

Phillies' Grade: C-

Rationale: Michael Young is not going to be very expensive for the Philadelphia Phillies, but unless he can rebound from a less-than-ideal 2012, he might not be the big bat that the Phillies want him to be. Last year, he hit .277 with eight home runs and 67 RBI.

Dec. 9: James Shields and Wil Myers Trade Places

Kansas City Royals received James Shields, Wade Davis and a player to be named later

Royals' Grade: A-

Rationale: I know that many people are upset with the Kansas City Royals and feel like they got ripped off. However, they now have an established ace at the top of their lineup. Also, Davis will be under team control for a long time as he continues to improve.

Rays' Grade: A+

Rationale: Myers seems to be a can't-miss prospect, and the other three are solid prospects in their own right. They did give up a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher, but this process is nothing new in Tampa Bay, where young players develop and leave before they can command a huge paycheck.

Rationale: Even though the Indians gave up Choo, they were able to fill his outfield slot by acquiring Stubbs. Also, even though Bauer had a rough debut in the majors, he has quite a bit of potential and will only be 22 years old when the season begins.

Reds' Grade: A

Rationale: Shin-Soo Choo is always a threat to go 20-20. Anytime that you can grab a multi-talented outfielder, you have to be happy. Even though he has had some injury problems, he is a great contributor when he is healthy.

Diamondbacks' Grade: C-

Rationale: Gregorius is a smooth-fielding shortstop, and after the departure of Stephen Drew, filling that hole was obviously a priority. The main problem I have with this trade for Arizona is that it involved the departure of Bauer. He is incredibly advanced for a young pitcher, and I feel like he should have been worth more.

Dec. 12: Joe Blanton Signs with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Rationale: Joe Blanton is not a bad acquisition. He is durable and will be able to pitch a lot of innings. However, I could not rate him very high simply because this move is not Earth-shattering whatsoever.

Unofficial: Mike Napoli Signs with the Boston Red Sox

Rationale: Mike Napoli can hit 30 home runs, so he should definitely be able to do some damage in Fenway Park (although negotiations are still ongoing, according to MLB.com).

That being said, even though Napoli can play catcher and first base, he still seems like more of a designated hitter. The Red Sox are pretty situated there, so if defense becomes an issue, I don't know where they will put him.

Unofficial: Anibal Sanchez Re-Signs with the Detroit Tigers

Rationale: I have to admit that this one did not seem like it would happen, but Jerry Crasnick of ESPN is reporting that Anibal Sanchez will remain in Detroit.

Even though his career record is not attractive, he has always been able to keep runs off the board, and now that he plays for a team with a powerful offense, that record should not be a problem for much longer.

Rationale: Josh Hamilton is one of the best hitters in baseball today, but it seems as if he is going to receive at least $25 million per year in his contract. I'm not a fan of this contract for a hitter who will be 36 when the deal is done.

Will he be worth that much in the end?

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